


There'll Be Peace When You Are Done

by castielnovak



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 15x20, Brothers, Dean - Freeform, Dean Winchester - Freeform, DeanCas - Freeform, Death, Destiel - Freeform, Family, Fix-It, Gay, Heaven, Love, M/M, One Shot, Season 15 Episode 20, Season 15 Finale Fix-It, Season/Series 15 Spoilers, Supernatural - Freeform, alternative ending, cas, castiel - Freeform, crowley - Freeform, finale fix-it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27657416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castielnovak/pseuds/castielnovak
Summary: (Supernatural Finale Spoilers)“There’ll be peace when you are done… Lay your weary head to rest, don’t you cry no more.”“Man, I love this song.” Dean spoke, tapping his fingers along on the top of the steering wheel as he drove. The words struck something in Dean. There’ll be peace when you are done. How was it that Dean was in Heaven, finally able to do whatever he wanted, yet he still didn’t feel at peace?“It’s because you’re not done, dumbass.”(Or: what would have happened if Dean's drive in Heaven in 15x20 actually had a destination)
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 9
Kudos: 88





	There'll Be Peace When You Are Done

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this to channel some of my anger/sadness over the finale into but thought I would just post it for a laugh... or a cry... or both :) Writing this was supposed to help my pain, AO3 and Google Docs trying constantly to change 'Castiel' to 'elastic' only added to it...
> 
> It starts just after Bobby's talk with Dean when he arrives in Heaven, so that still happens, it's just Dean's drive that is different.

“You’ve got everything you could ever want, or need, or dream of.” Bobby let his hands rest in his lap. He spoke the sentence as if it was the easiest thing in the world, as if this all wouldn’t take Dean forever to adjust to. That was okay though, the only thing Dean Winchester did have now was forever. “So, I guess… the question is, what are you gonna do now Dean?” 

The younger man laughed, looking up at the closest thing to a role model he had had in his adult life. Dean had thought his free will would have come on earth, where he would live a life of hunting and loving and just simply being. In one moment, that had all changed, the life of a job and a normal family he had planned for himself ripped away. He had always known that his life would most likely come to an end at the hands of a monster. But knowing and experiencing were very different things. He had been strong in front of Sam, as he took his final breaths, but deep down, Dean felt cheated, like an incredible injustice had been brought upon him. He had fought so long and so hard to get a life that wasn’t controlled by God, and just after achieving it it was snatched away.  
Himself and Sam had always been the butt of some cosmic joke, and that fact had never felt more true. 

But then he looked at Bobby, he thought about his family and Rufus a few miles away, he thought about Jo and Ellen and the Roadhouse behind him, he thought about Cas and Jack, and how at least now he knew that they were both happy and content. Maybe this wasn’t unjust, or unfair, maybe this was exactly what Dean deserved. He could live out his free will here, just now without the responsibility or the consequences or the duty to protect that he had on Earth. Here he could be just Dean Winchester, not Dean the hunter, the ultimate killer, Micheal's true vessel, the man who had been to Hell and survived, who had stopped the apocalypse and had to stop every one after that. Just Dean Winchester, the man. 

He looked across at the Impala, letting out a small laugh, and knew exactly what he wanted to do. Dean stood up, and turned back to Bobby, holding out his hand for the man to shake. “I think I’ll go for a drive.” 

-

Nothing felt more right than climbing into the Impala. It felt like home, and security, and safety, but also like the future, and possibility. There was an aching feeling in Dean's chest though, as he pressed his foot down on the accelerator. The Impala hadn’t been this empty in years. It felt strange sitting the car alone, without Sam by his side, or Cas complaining about how much quicker it would have been for him to fly them there, and Dean shooting him down every time, or even Crowley arguing about how he should be the one to ride shotgun.  
Suddenly longing for the hum of voices, Dean reached out, pressing play on the radio. “Not enough classic rock in Heaven for my liking.” He chuckled as the first song began to play. 

“There’ll be peace when you are done… Lay your weary head to rest, don’t you cry no more.” 

“Man, I love this song.” Dean spoke, tapping his fingers along on the top of the steering wheel as he drove. The words struck something in Dean. There’ll be peace when you are done. How was it that Dean was in Heaven, finally able to do whatever he wanted, yet he still didn’t feel at peace? 

“It’s because you’re not done, dumbass.” 

“What the-” Dean looked to the side, a passenger now in his car. 

“Eyes on the road, squirrel.” Crowley spoke, referencing the way Dean’s driving was quickly getting out of control. “I finally get to ride shotgun, I don’t want you crashing the car.” 

“Crowley?” Dean exclaimed, steadying out the car on the stretch of road. He didn’t know why Crowley was so worried, it wasn’t exactly like they could die again. Or could they? Dean was too new to this Heaven thing, maybe he should concentrate on the road. 

“Surprised to see me, I know.” Crowley joked, nudging Dean. 

“How the- what the- you made it to Heaven?” Dean let out a small laugh at the absurd thought of the King of Hell securing a place in Heaven. 

“Well, yeah. You didn’t think Jack and Castiel did all this work by themselves? I remodelled Hell for God’s sake. I might as well run 60 Minute Makeover for the afterlife.” Crowley paused, looking at Dean. “Oh, yeah, God, touchy subject sorry. Did Bobby really not mention me? It must be that kissing photo, that man can hold a grudge.”

“But the Empty? Why are you here?” Dean questioned. 

“Moose really was the brains of the family.” Crowley spat, but with no venom in his voice. “Jack is the most powerful being the universe has ever seen. He’s part human, part archangel, part God, and he’s been touched by the Empty. When you defeated God, well done by the way, always hated the guy, and Jack came here, he destroyed the Empty. He sent the Demons to Purgatory, with the exception of yours truly, and the angels to some angel Heaven or something. I wasn’t listening to that part, sorry.” 

“And Cas?” Dean asked, nodding his head as he took everything in. Turns out a lot could change if you died. He could feel nerves building as he thought about where his friend was, at least he knew that he was somewhere good, but the thought of never seeing Castiel again hurt Dean more than he had thought possible. 

“Cas is Jack’s right hand man, he can go wherever he wants.” Crowley answered, noticing the smile on Dean’s face. “I think you’ve just found out how to get you peace.” The demon, turned King, turned friend, finished, before disappearing from the Impala, in true Crowley fashion. 

“Bye, Crowley.” Dean spoke to the air, knowing without doubt that it would not be the last time they met. “Come on Baby,” He mused, turning up the radio. “Let’s finish what he started.”  
As Dean drove, much to his surprise, he knew exactly where he was heading. What he didn’t know was what he would find once he arrived. And for the first time, that was okay. The uncertainty scared him, as it always had done, but whatever happened next, Dean knew that it would be okay. Whether that was the fault of Heaven, or the changed person he was, he didn’t know but either way, he was content. 

-

The barn was exactly as it had been all those years ago. Twelve long years had passed since Bobby and Dean had arrived here, armed with every single weapon they knew of, covering the place with protection symbols, desperate to find out who, or what, had brought Dean back from Hell. Now he needed none of it, because the person he was hoping to find here made him feel safer and more at ease than anything ever had.  
His heart sank, as he walked through the barn, looking everywhere for a glimpse of the angel that had been so tragically taken from him. When he got to the far side he turned round, desperately searching for Castiel anywhere, feeling panic rise inside him as he realised that he was nowhere to be seen. 

“Dammit, Cas.” Dean lashed out, kicking at the discarded table. “Where are you, you son of a bitch?” He exclaimed, getting more desperate by the minute. Dean breathed out, steadying himself by leaning on the back wall. He thought back to all the times on Earth, and in Purgatory, when he had needed Cas, how he had got the angel to his side. And now this was Heaven, this was Cas’ territory, the same had to apply here. “I swear man, making me pray to you even in Heaven, you must just love the attention.” He paused, collecting his thoughts. “Castiel. There are so many things I need to say to you, that deserve to be said in person. I need you Cas, I need you here with me. I miss you, it doesn’t feel right without you here. So if you’re listening to me, I’m here, and I’ll be here waiting for as long as it takes.” 

“Hello, Dean.”

“Cas? You’re here?” Dean didn’t realise how emotional he would be at the sight of his old friend, the one who had unknowingly taught him how important it was to stand up for what you believed in, to fight the mould that the universe created for you, and become your own person. Castiel had rebelled against Heaven, and Dean knew that without him, his resolve to fight God would have been so much weaker. 

“When are you going to learn, Dean? I always come when you call.” He stepped forward, now only a few metres away from Dean, who still stood transfixed at the end of the barn, in the position he had first seen Cas, too overcome with emotion to move. Then all of a sudden, the Winchester boy rushed forward, pulling Castiel against him and holding him in the tightest embrace, his head buried against Cas’ shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent of the angel he had spent the best and worst part of his life with. 

“Cas I’m so sorry.” Dean breathed out, reluctantly pulling away, letting his arms fall to his side, suddenly feeling so empty without the feeling of Castiel close to him. 

“Please, don’t say anything, Dean. Let’s just pretend it never happened.”

“No, Cas, you don’t understand.” Dean couldn’t help repeating his friends name over and over again, it had felt so wrong saying it when he knew Cas was dead, but now, he never wanted to stop feeling the word Castiel on his lips. “You can have it. You can have it all.” 

“What are you saying?” The angel replied.

“I’m saying I love you, you idiot. I love you Cas, and it took me way too long to realise that, or maybe, I’d known it all along but I hadn’t been able to say it. But now, I don’t want to waste anymore time without you not knowing that I love you.” Dean looked at Castiel properly for what felt like the first time. He no longer saw a friend, or a supernatural being, or someone that tagged along on hunts and held their ID badge upside down. In reality, had he ever seen that? Dean had always known that what he felt for Cas was complicated, it was different from anything he had ever felt for someone before, but now, when he looked at Cas, he knew exactly what he saw. He saw the love of his life, the only person he ever wanted to be with, and he hated himself for taking so long to realise that. He hated himself for making Cas wait so long to hear those three simple words, he hated the fact that it took them both to die for Dean to realise that he could never be happy or at peace if that goddamn angel in a trench coat wasn’t by his side. “I love you, Castiel. And I hope that confession you made to me was real, and not some Empty induced panic.” 

“Dean, did you not listen to a word I said that day? The Empty took me then because my true happiness was loving you. It didn’t matter if you reciprocated it, or if you hated me for it. My happiness was having known you, having been changed by you and allowing myself to love you. My happiness was letting you know what a great man you are, my happiness was knowing that for even a second you felt about yourself the way I feel about you.” Castiel could see the tears welling in Dean’s eyes as he spoke, the same emotion overtaking Cas himself. For a celestial being who was never meant to feel emotions, it was all very strange. He looked around the barn that had started it all, recalling the time he strode through the doors, the way Dean had stabbed at him and shot at him. Back then, Castiel had been so Heaven bent on following instructions, on being God’s perfect soldier, he could never have envisioned what was to come. But looking back on it all now, now they were at the end, the only thing he would have changed was making sure Dean knew how much he was loved sooner. 

“We wasted so much time.” Dean breathed, running his hand through his hair, completely exasperated. 

“We’re in Heaven, Dean.” Castiel answered, as if it was the simplest thing in the world, completely forgetting that whilst his whole existence had been Heaven, Dean had only been here a matter of hours. “We have eternity to catch up on all the time we missed on Earth.” 

“Nothing would make me happier than spending an eternity with you, eating and drinking and sleeping in late.” 

“Dean, I, I don’t eat. Or drink. Or sleep.” Castiel replied, bemused, slightly insulted that Dean had forgotten that fact. 

“All right Cas, I was trying to be romantic, way to ruin a moment.” He smiled. 

“Oh, right.” Castiel hung his head in mock shame, biting back a smile of his own. “Continue.” 

“Nah, man the moments gone.” Dean joked, shaking his head.

“Maybe this will bring it back?” Castiel asked, inching forwards. He placed his hands on Dean’s cheeks, bringing their lips together, and kissing him. It was short and sweet, and left Dean wanting more, but both pulled away, knowing this was new and fragile, and wanting to take days as they came, but knowing that whatever happened, they would experience it together. 

“Yeah, that helped a bit, I guess.” Dean shrugged his shoulders, bowing his head as he blushed. “Hey, Cas, quick question. What’s the deal with Crowley? How the Hell, haha, did he end up here and not in Purgatory?” 

Castiel smiled at the mention of their old companion. “When Jack was destroying the Empty, it wasn’t going to go down without a fight. But it woke us all up, and before Jack came to set everything right, I found Crowley. And Jack found us together, and Crowley somehow managed to get himself a place here. I’m kind of his sponsor, to make sure he doesn’t do anything really crazy.” 

“Crowley? Crazy? Never.” Dean shook his head, knowing that if any demon was going to con their way into Heaven, it was going to have been Crowley. Props to the guy. “You know, I was really thinking I was going to end up in Hell.” Dean admitted, feeling guilty that his last living thought had been of the afterlife he would find, instead of of his family and the people he would leave behind. 

“Dean, my son is literally God, that never would have happened.” 

“Right, but how would you have made him send me here? You can’t exactly… ground God, can you? Can you ground God?” Dean laughed at how, even in the afterlife, nothing was simple. “Ha, Jack is God, I never could have seen that one coming, that kid-” 

Dean stopped in his sentence, looking across at Cas. “Did you feel that?” He asked, not knowing exactly what he had felt himself. Dean felt anxiety build up, as he turned, looking for the threat. But this was Heaven, and the new God was his friend, and he was standing there next to an angel, who he loved, nothing bad could happen here. Dean let himself relax even more as he looked up at Cas, as a smile spread across his face. “Sammy.” Dean breathed, knowing what that feeling was. It was a feeling of completion. Team Free Will finally in the same place again. The person he loved, and the brother who meant the world to him back with him again. “Sammy’s here.”

“Yes, Dean.” Cas smiled, feeling it too. His smile was hiding something though, hiding the fear he felt that now Sam was here, Dean would retract everything he had just said, and it would go back to being the Winchester’s, with Cas on the outside, never fully being able to break through. And then Dean began to walk away, and Castiel’s heart broke a little more. 

Dean stopped, and turned around, noticing that Cas hadn’t followed him. He looked at the angel, his angel, knowing that nothing in his Heaven would have been right if Castiel wasn’t there to live it with him. “Well?” He questioned, holding out his hand. “Let’s go meet him.” 

Without hesitating or waiting, Cas ran forward, taking Dean’s hand, and vowing to never let go. 

This was free will.

**Author's Note:**

> There we have it. What I would have loved Dean's Heaven section to be if the writers didn't hate Cas... Okay, now back to crying about the ending and ranting on twitter (follow me @deanchangedcas xoxo) 
> 
> Yes I included Crowley because he also deserved better (but yes, I know him being in Heaven is like... impossible)


End file.
